Throughout my life, I’ve always loved camping with my family and friends over the summer break. During the school year, I look forward to spending time with my loved ones exploring the beautiful sights of nature. My family and close friends started out with local campsites and beach camping, but over the years, we’ve ventured far and wide to see some of the views of a lifetime with our growing camping family.
Following are some of my favorite camping destinations that I would fully recommend!

1. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
During the summers of 2022 and 2023, my family and our friends camped in the Tetons for ten nights, and I would say both trips were the highlight of my summer. We camped by Jackson Lake, a beautiful lake with a beautiful view of the mountains, and the scenery was incredible. There are many beautiful lakes and other views nearby, and Yellowstone National Park is only an hour’s drive away. At Grand Teton and in the nearby town of Jackson Hole, there are many fun activities, like paddle boarding and kayaking on the lakes, hiking, sightseeing, horseback riding, river rafting (my favorite!), biking through town, and many more! I also love the unique restaurants, ice cream shops, and souvenir shops in Jackson Hole. Overall, it makes for an exciting experience!

2. Brookings, Oregon
I’ve only been to the Oregon coast once, but I’m hoping to go again many more times. The coast is so beautiful and serene, and the hikes are scenic with breathtaking views and greenery. Camping there really puts my mind at peace because it is so calm and picturesque there. For me, the long drive was completely worth it. There is so much to explore, and I would of course recommend traveling there!

3. Carpinteria State Beach, California
Carpinteria is a place that will always feel like my home away from home, as I’ve camped there almost every year for a long time. The beach is gorgeous, the waves are perfect for swimming, and there are great trails for hiking as well. It’s also really fun to walk or bike through town, where my favorite places are the ice cream shops, thrift stores, record stores, candy shops, antique stores, and coffee shops. All in all, it’s a beautiful beach not too far away with lots of fun things to do.

4. Inyo National Forest, California
I’ve camped and sightseen at many places in Inyo National Forest, including Rock Creek Lake, Twin Lakes, Lake Mary, Lake George, and more, all being beautiful places with amazing views and waters great for swimming, paddle boarding, and kayaking. I’ve also biked around and taken the trolley through the town of Mammoth Lakes, where there are excellent restaurants and bakeries. One thing my family loves to do there is hike the trail to Gem Lake from Mosquito Flat. The trail is ten miles, but what I love about it is there are views the whole way there, so you can turn back whenever you want without missing out; there is a lake about every mile on the trail. On the way to Inyo, there is a great bakery in Bishop called Erick Schat’s Bakery, which has amazing breads, jams, sandwiches, pastries, cakes, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Overall, trips to Inyo National Forest are a great experience.

5. Hume Lake, California
Hume Lake is a beautiful lake, perfect for swimming, paddle boarding, and kayaking. The view is amazing, and there are places all around the lake to sit and relax by the water. Something my friends and I love to do there is jump into the water off of the large rocks; it’s always so much fun. There is also a general store by the lake where you can get icees, milkshakes, ice cream, candy, soda, Hume Lake hoodies, and lots of other snacks and appliances you might need while camping. Hume Lake is beautiful and it is so much fun to camp at!

To conclude, these are my favorite places to camp at that I would absolutely recommend if you like camping, or even just traveling or sightseeing. I promise that you’ll have an amazing experience and see some gorgeous views!

-Lam T.